Regular night shifts can make you less fertile!

Sleep loss has always been linked to various disorders, some of them being obesity and heart disease.

An average human being needs anywhere between seven to eight hours of sleep every night. In today's times, erratic working hours, unreasonable deadlines, and other factors have taken a toll on the amount of sleep and rest that a person gets.

Men who do shift work are the worst victims, said, Dr. Hrishikesh D Pai, Director IVF & Infertility at Fortis La Femme Hospital, Delhi & Secretary General of the Federation of Obstetrics and Gynaecological Societies of India.

The working pattern can affect the health of employees and impact their sleep pattern, meal times, and the ability to exercise.

Apart from this, lack of sleep is also associated with urinary problems and erectile dysfunction. The reason for this is that an erratic schedule can lower testosterone levels in men.

Testosterone is a hormone which helps fuel a man's sex drive. A reduction in the level of this hormone can result in the production of poor-quality semen, thereby making it difficult for men to help conceive babies.

Male fertility rates have already plummeted in the recent years due to poor diet and lifestyle as also 'gender-bending' chemicals present in the environment.

A lifestyle that involves irregular sleep patterns also contributes to blockages or obstructions in the tubes that take sperms away from the testes to the penis. This results in complete lack of sperm in the ejaculated semen.

Here are some tips for those working in night shifts

•Try to avoid working several night shifts in a row

•Avoid frequently rotating shifts

•Keep your workplace brightly lit to promote alertness

•Avoid bright lights on the way home from work if possible. This will make it easier for you to fall asleep once you hit the pillow

•Ask your family to limit phone calls and visitors during your sleep hours

•Use blackout blinds or heavy curtains to block out sunlight when you have to sleep during the day

•Try to avoid long commutes that take time away from sleeping

•Limit caffeine - you may have trouble falling asleep when you get home